Lawmakers consider private lanes on N.J. Turnpike

[Star Ledger]

Lawmakers consider private lanes on N.J. Turnpike
by Joe Donohue/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday July 08, 2008, 12:05 AM

State officials said Monday they are discussing letting private firms operate some lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike to help pay for major transportation improvements without huge toll increases.

Under one proposal, privately run lanes would be set up solely for truck and bus traffic on the full length of the 122-mile Turnpike. Another plan would create "express lanes" where motorists would pay a premium to get away from traffic.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) and Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said they have discussed the idea with Gov. Jon Corzine and other administration officials and plan to have further talks. Corzine has pledged a new long-range transportation improvement plan by late summer.

Codey said leasing one or more Turnpike lanes to a private operator could finance a pending $2.7 billion widening project without giant toll hikes for those who don't use the new lanes.

"It certainly puts a reasonable amount of money into the pot and does it without much pain to the taxpayers," he said.

Corzine is looking for an alternative after he couldn't get support for his $40 billion plan to pay down state debt and bankroll road projects by boosting tolls as much as 800 percent over the next 15 years.

Sean Darcy, a spokesman for the governor, acknowledged lawmakers are talking with Corzine. He refused to discuss specific proposals under consideration but said Corzine is working on Plan B.

"We have been focused on getting our historic budget passed with our partners in the Legislature, but we will be exploring all options moving forward to fund the Transportation Trust Fund," he said.

Lesniak said privately run lanes dedicated solely to trucks and buses could help generate cash for bridge repairs, but the full financial impact requires further study.

"Conceptually, the plan has great promise," he said.

Currently, 45 miles of the Turnpike -- from Interchange 14 at Newark to Interchange 8A at Jamesburg -- limit the center-most lanes to car traffic and direct trucks and buses to the side lanes. While cars can now use these truck lanes, they probably would be banned from them under the new plan, Lesniak said.

A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said trucks made up about 13 percent of total Turnpike traffic in 2006 but paid 33 percent of the tolls. A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Motor Truck Association could not be reached for comment.

Codey said another option is a private express lane for drivers who pay more. Such lanes exist on some California highways and are being built in Texas.

Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said the two senators are "trying to think outside the box on how we solve our transportation funding needs in New Jersey." He suggested another idea: letting a private operator build the new trans-Hudson River tunnel, which could free up billions in public dollars.

But Wisniewski said the state's transportation needs are so vast that even these alternatives might not be enough to avoid toll increases for all drivers, and even a small gasoline tax increase.

"The money has to come from somebody," he said.

While it was common early in the last century for private companies to run transportation networks in the United States, such deals fell out of favor until the past decade.

Public officials have considered privately run roads because they provide governments with multibillion-dollar windfalls that can be used to create stable long-range funding for transportation improvements. The biggest recent leases were secured in Chicago, Indiana and Texas. A similar deal in Pennsylvania is facing stiff opposition.

Under the plan he offered earlier this year, Corzine wanted to create a quasi-public agency that would have kept the toll roads under state control.

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